Finally getting a bit chilly around here, 46 this morning. Started the fire with hemlock, waited for that to burn almost all the way down, then all plum and holly. Man that holly burns long and hot.
No food. Snow protects the nutritional plants insulated under snow. That's why they eat our shrubbery--"salad". "Nature's Way" , great book by a 'Nam journalist ( forget the name of course ) goes into why so many animals do so well when we build in their habitat and plant exotics around our homes. Little hunting anymore means too many species in a limited environment. Here: bear, turkeys, deer, porkies.
OWB been going for week now . Snow isn't melting as fast as I wanted it to ... Now there's more coming 31.3 f burning slabs . Sent from my LGL722DL using Tapatalk
Hello all! I havent been around here much in recent months and so there are many posts on this thread I havent had a chance to go through. We have had cooler weather on and off for some time now and Ive been burning on and off. We woke up to 4-6 inches of snow this morning and now its about -7c/19f. It looks like a big cool down in the coming week which will be nice in some ways. I prefer full on burning rather than a bit here and there. Im also looking forward to winter smoking/grilling and the start of ice fishing season! Glad to be back, I hope you have all had a nice summer!
I was in the same boat as you....gone for a few months. I actually gave up on "reading posts and trying to catch up". I bet you will too! But, important thing is, we're here for wintertime!!!
Its hard to believe little hunting anymore. Hunters are way down in MI too but not much starvation. Also they say there are fewer hunters but that is not true here! Too many here. But the push the DNR made to make turkey hunters here fizzled. It was big for a few years but I can't seem to get them to come here and shoot.
The hunting season is far too short here. The deer population in Eastern Mass is supposedly 80 per square miles which is way too high compared to western ma where it's more like 10 per square mile. . Fewer hunters and they tend to hunt in areas where it's easier/higher chances of success. Baiting is disallowed here and maybe that restriction should get dropped.
Understand the frustration with high density deer pops. However. Baiting is a spreader of CWD. Noooo good! Maybe you don't have this disease in Mass? We have a deer pop. prob. here as well. Doesn't seem to be near as many hunters anymore. Everyone is on a phone or puter. Online! Also: At 8PM it's a balmy 37F with continuing rain. Stove got loaded at 5. First load on a brand spanking new Cat. Nice.
AFAIK, there's no wasting disease here . The baiting ban goes back quite a ways. There was someone that was baiting (apples and something in purchased packages) and left their tree chairs up some maple trees o the corner of my property. One of the chairs was up a tree with one of my no hunting/ no trespassing signs on it. Pizzed me off so I took the chairs. A friend of a friend asked if he could hunt on the property and because he asked I said go ahead. Park in the yard so I know you're out there and I won't go cutting wood. Shotgun season is very short here.
"Nature's Way", Jim Sterba ( 'Nam journalist ). Great read BTW on why so many species around where we live. Few hunters even here in rural Maine lately. Prosperity ? Cellphone addiction ? Obesity ? Most locals will ask first so I don't go cutting. But few hunting in the past few years. We do target plink and game track, but not hunting. Shoulder season (SS) in full swing now with those quick morning fires then some sun. Hoarded plenty of Wall Street Journals, Ellsworth Americans and kindling over the long hot summer. Morning frosts now, then out nude in the sun later.
Backwoods Savage you have been granted another wood saver day Sure to be over with soon! Enjoy. We had record rainfall across the area in the last 24. Glad it wasn't the white stuff. My new steel roof and gutters are performing flawlessly! 37F and overcast now. Another stove load scheduled around 10am. Lows in the low 20's beginning this evening. Toasty!
Hung the bird feeders for the winter today since Yogi is back sleeping ( we hope ) with morning frosts. Hunting begins, but no takers. Bambis are +/- 20' of you in a car or cutting in the woodlot. Porkis are in the oaks, dropping acorns branches. I can't range the pellet gun to hit anything. How the H did whatshisname kill 25 squirrels ? What's the secret ? SS is in full swing.